GEN News Highlights

Beta-Amyloid Also Involved in Glaucoma

(Page
1
of
1)

A group of scientists report that they have evidence implicating beta-amyloid in glaucoma. The research carried out at the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology also showed that drugs being tested for Alzheimer's disease, which target this protein, may be used to treat glaucoma.

The research team developed a new technology for visualising nerve cell damage in the retina, known as detection of apoptosing retinal cells. They demonstrated that the protein beta-amyloid also leads to nerve cell death in the retina.

Using animal models, the scientists also found that drugs that work to prevent the build up of the beta-amyloid in Alzheimer’s brains can be used to treat glaucoma. One such drug, Bapineuzumab, is already being used in clinical trials to treat Alzheimer's patients by pharmaceutical companies Elan and Wyeth in the US. In the study, the scientists combined it with two other novel Alzheimer's treatments and found that the effects on glaucoma were even stronger.

The research was published August 6 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Jobs

GEN Jobs powered by HireLifeScience.com connects you directly to employers in pharma, biotech, and the life sciences. View 40 to 50 fresh job postings daily or search for employment opportunities including those in R&D, clinical research, QA/QC, biomanufacturing, and regulatory affairs.

GEN Poll

Secure Science

Should bans on science education, of the sort imposed on Iranians hoping to study physics and engineering in the United States, encompass other nationals and other fields of study, including biotechnology?

No. Such bans could easily get out of control, preventing the sharing and growth of knowledge.

Yes. The potential, for example, for the development of bioweapons if biotech information gets into the wrong hands must be minimized.

No. Such bans could easily get out of control, preventing the sharing and growth of knowledge.

56.6%

Yes. The potential, for example, for the development of bioweapons if biotech information gets into the wrong hands must be minimized.

If you have any questions about your subscription, click
hereto email us or call at (914) 740-2189.

You may also be interested in subscribing to the GEN magazine, an indispensable
resource for everyone involved in the business of translating discoveries at the
bench into solutions that fight disease and improve health, agriculture, and the
environment. Subscribe
today to see why over 60,000 biotech professionals read GEN to
keep current in the areas of genomics, proteomics, drug discovery, biomarker discovery,
bioprocessing, molecular diagnostics, collaborations, biotech business trends, and
more.